Since 1992, Tom & Laurie Reese have accompanied classic silent films together. Their favorites include Metropolis, Nosferatu, Phantom of the Opera, and more. Their unique live musicperformances range from acoustic flutes and cello, to jazz quartet with piano & drums. Structured compositional ideas flow into improvisational lines, following the dynamics of the film.

Some of these film scores have been recorded (marked with an asterisk), and are available through Rhombus Records, in our store, or on Amazon.

ON TV! These silent film classics featuring a recorded original score by Tom & Laurie Reese, can be seen on LCTV, Cable Channel 66 (Lancaster, PA & surrounding areas). See TV Guide for showtimes! October 2013 showing "The Shock" (check guide for times!) Stay tuned for next month's listing!

A mysterious creature in a bat costume tiptoes off with jewels, cash & more from his victims. The local inspector vows to catch him, in time to ward off a big heist. Trouble ensues at the lavish home of his next intended victim, with more suspects entering the plot at every turn! A fun who-dun-it. Original Batman! Some scenes in the now famous modern films are direct replicas.

The Birth of a Nation is a controversial silent film directed by D.W. Griffith, based on the play The Clansman and the book The Leopard's Spots, both by Thomas Dixon. It was released in 1915 and has been credited with securing the future of feature length films (any film over an hour in length) as well as solidifying the codes of film language. The film premiered on February 8, 1915 in Los Angeles, California under the title The Clansman, but three months later was retitled with the present title at its world premiere in New York.

Two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, visit their friends in Piedmont, South Carolina: the family Cameron. This friendship is affected by the Civil War, as the Stonemans and the Camerons must join up opposite armies. The consequences of the War in their lives are shown in connection to major historical events, like the development of the Civil War itself, Lincoln's assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.

The controversy of the film revolves around its premise of a post-Civil War America, (also referred to as the Reconstruction) where the Ku Klux Klan successfully redeems the South from "carpetbaggers" and "mulattos," perceived in the film as evil. Even at the time of the film's release, people vigorously protested the film. However, the success of the film made Griffith a wealthy man. Griffith was surprised by the harsh criticism and his next major project, Intolerance tried to address the issues raised. The film has been strongly linked to the creation of the second version of the Ku Klux Klan, which, after having been practically non-existent since 1871, was revived in the year of this movie's release.

The Birth of a Nation was at one time the highest grossing film of all time, taking in more than $10 million at the box office. It remained the highest grossing film until 1925 when the film The Big Parade surpassed it as the highest grossing silent film of all time.

The most brilliant example of that dark and twisted film movement known as German expressionism, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world. Werner Krauss (Dr. Caligari) stars as a deranged hypnotist who spreads death through the countryside from a ramshackle traveling carnival. Before the naive eyes of the townspeople, he unveils the contents of his coffin-like cabinet: Cesare (Conrad Veidt), a spidery sleepwalker who obeys his every command. But at night, once the crowds have dispersed, Caligari lifts the lid on darker intentions, unleashing the dreadful Cesare to act upon his master’s murderous whims and carnal desires.

In making Caligari, director Robert Wiene and designers Warm, Reimann and Röhrig crafted a nightmare realm in which light, shadow and substance are abstracted, a world in which a demented doctor and a carnival sleepwalker perpetuate a series of murders in a small community. They combined techniques of painting, theatre and film to conjure a nightmare world of splintered reality, boldly creating a visual representation of insanity, taking the art of cinema a lengthy stride into unexplored stylistic and psychological terrain, hinting at the terrifying power the medium might possess.

The edition that will be presented is the original black & white version, not the color-tinted version.

1927 movie production "COLLEGE" starring BUSTER KEATON, and ANNE CORNWALL. Buster Keaton stars in one of his most memorable roles as Ronald, who gives a high school valedictory address that praises books and condemns sports. His girlfriend Mary thinks that's terrible of him, and refuses to speak to him until he changes his mind. Afraid he might lose her, Ronald goes to college and tries to become a star athlete...with expectedly and unexpectedly disastrous results.

One of John Barrymore's best works. A gruesome tale by Robert Louis Stephenson. Dr. Henry Jekyll, a scientist & physician, is criticized for not experiencing the more sensuous side of life. He finally comes up with a formula that will allow him to separate the two sides of himself, one that is his "normal" persona, and one that can explore the "darker" nature of humanity. He names his dark side Mr. Hyde, and creates a whole safety zone for him. It isn't long before Mr. Hyde starts to dominate his life.

Union solders have stolen The General, a Confederate train manned by Johnnie Gray (Keaton), who was unable to enlist in the Confederate army because he is needed as an engineer. The Union plans to use the train to supply its soldiers in a sneak attack against the Confederates. But now it's up to Gray and his love, Annabelle Lee, to reclaim The General, recross enemy lines, and warn the Confederates.

Although "The General" was widely panned by critics in 1927 for being "too serious", Buster Keaton called the film "my personal best" later in life. Today the silent classic, based on a true Civil War tale, is one of Keaton's most popular films ever.

This is the original silent version, released in 1925. The Gold Rush was re-released in 1942 by Charlie Chaplin narrating and with music composed by Mr. Chaplin himself. It tells the story of The Little Fellow who sets off, like many others, to find his fortune in gold. He meets up with Big Jim McKay and Black Larsen. A wind & snow storm shuts them in Black's cabin, where food becomes scarce. The Little Fellow accidentally shoots a bear, thus saving the day by providing many, many meals! He finally makes it back to town. A very famous scene includes "dancing muffins" as he dreams of his love coming for dinner. Big Jim shows up in town, makes The Little Fellow lead him back to the cabin. They find his stashed loot, becoming millionaires, and he is even reunited with his love!

An American Western film written, produced, & directed by Edwin S. Porter (a former Edison studios cameraman). It depicts the first murders on film. Robbers take over a train at gunpoint, robbing all the passengers & killing when necessary. In a final shootout, all the bandits are killed. An additional scene is included in the film: a close up of the leader of the bandits, firing point blank towards the camera. While usually placed at the end, Porter stated that the scene could also be played at the beginning.

Set in fifteenth century Paris, Quasimodo (Chancy) is the Hunchback of Notre Dame, ridiculed by the town folk for his deformity. The brother of the archdeacon plots with the gypsy king to create a peasant revolt. Quasimodo is befriended by and entranced with Esmeralda, a gypsy princess. He is accused of trying to capture & abduct Esmeralda, and is punished for it. She shows him kindness, giving him water after he is tortured as punishment. Esmeralda falls in love with Phoebus de Chateaupers, who rescued her during the attempted abduction. When she is sentenced to hang, falsely accused of attacking Phoebus, Quasimodo rescues her, giving her sanctuary in the church where he lives.

Elaine, a young girl, shows up at a boarding house, seemingly poor and tortured by illness. The local thief (portrayed by Lon Chaney), also rooming at the boarding house, befriends her, and hears about a "magic" chalice. This chalice is reported to have been used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, which was subsequently lost for many years. The chalice has healing powers to all who touch it. Wanting to heal his friend, this thief then steals "The Holy Grail" for her. He steals it from her boyfriend, who turns out to be the cause of, and the cure for, her illness which the doctor determined to be "of the heart." The boyfriend then presses charges against him in court until he sees that his love, Elaine, has truly been healed and has forgiven him. This film is adapted from a full-length film called The Light in the Dark.

The Lost World is a 1925 silent film adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's book of the same name. It stars Wallace Beery as Professor Challenger. This version was directed by Harry O. Hoyt and featured pioneering stop motion special effects by Willis O'Brien (an invaluable warm up for his work on the original King Kong directed by Merian C. Cooper). The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

The journal of explorer Maple White is recovered from a plateau in South America featuring sketches of dinosaurs, which is enough proof for the eccentric Professor Challenger that dinosaurs still walk the earth. With that, John Roxton (sportsman), news reporter Edward Malone (whom wishes to go on the expedition to impress his fiance'), Challenger and Paula White (as well as an Indian servant, Zambo) leave for the plateau. They get onto the plateau by cutting down a tree and using it as a bridge, but it is knocked over by a brontosaurus, leaving them trapped. The explorers are shocked when they discover that a large rock has been sent their way by an ape-man perched on top of a ledge. As the crew look up to see their attacker, Challenger spies a Pteranodon (mistakenly referred to as a pterodactyl in the film) overhead and proves that the statement in Maple White's diary is true. The explorers witness various life-and-death struggles between the prehistoric beasts of the platue. During which, an Allosaurus makes its way to the camp site and attacks the exploration party. It is finally driven off by Ed Malone who throws a burning torch into the beast's mouth. Convinced that the camp isn't safe, Ed Malone climbs a tree to search for a new location, but is attacked by the ape-man. John Roxton succeeds in shooting the ape man, but the creature is merely wounded and escapes before John can finish him off. The explorers then make preparations to live on the plateau potentially indefinitely. A catapult is constructed and a in search for Maple White, his remains are found confirming his death. It is at this time that Ed confesses his love for Paula and the two are unofficially wed. Shortly afterwards, as the paleontologists are observing a Brontosaurus, it is attacked by an allosaur and falls of the edge of the platue, becoming trapped in a mud bank. Soon afterwards, a volcano erupts, causing a mass stampede among the giant beasts of the prehistoric world. In the end, the crew is saved when Paula White's pet monkey Chico climbs a rope up the plateau and the crew climb down. As Ed makes his descent, he is again attacked by the ape-man who pulls the rope later. The ape-man is again shot, and this time killed, by Sir. John Roxton. The Brontosaurus that was pushed off the plateau had landed softly in the mud at the bottom of the plateau, and Challenger manages to bring it back to London, as he wants to put it on display. However, it escapes and causes havoc until it reaches the London Bridge, where it's massive weight causes it to break through, into the English channel where it swims away. Challenger is morose as the creature leaves, whereas Edward Malone discovers that the love he left in London has married in his absence, allowing him and Paula to be together.

In a parody of Jack London's novel the Sea Wolf, Buster is trapped on a ship with a tyrannical captain. The ship & it's crew is not what it seems to be, however, and Buster Keaton sails the seas to discover the truth.

The son of a wealthy landowner makes his "mark" as he tries to stop corruption and mistreatment of the natives. He carves a "Z" into the faces of those he conquers, while saving the natives and undertrodden. He falls in love with the beautiful Lolita Pulido, whose family is facing poverty and ruin at the hands of the corrupt Governor Alvaredo.

There can be no understanding between the hands and the brain unless the heart acts as mediator... This futuristic fantasy is about a subterranean factory that is ruled by titans, betrayed by robots, and saved by love. Set in the year 2000, the story takes place in a highly industrialized city that is ruled by a heartless capitalist who, by the film's end, is reconciled with labor through the power of love. The biggest production of the silent era, using nearly 37,000 actors, Metropolis is a melange of love story, melodrama and social commentary. The film was widely criticized upon its release for its sociopolitical content. As a work of visual art, Metropolis has had a tremendous impact on cinema. Its art nouveau sets, futuristic creations, geometric patterns formed by the movements of huge masses of actors, and use of model buildings to create the appearance of an enormous city were revolutionary. Said to have been inspired by the New York City skyline, the sets are among the most imaginative and impressive ever created for a film. Shortly after making the film, director Lang fled his homeland when Hitler's propaganda minister asked him to head the German film industry. Lang spent the next 20 years making films in Hollywood before returning to Germany.

A Canadian Mountie, while in the process of doing his job, encounters an unusual situation. Should he let his professionalism win, or let his love escape with the fugitive he is bringing to justice? Adapted from the novel by James Oliver Curwood. Chaney plays a French-Canadian trapper named Raoul Challoner whose fiancee Nanette (Betty Blythe) is also the object of desire of the scurrilous son of the manager of the company settlement and an honorable Mountie (Lewis Stone). The film’s high point is its climax, a forest fire.

The earliest surviving screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula novel has had a long and dangerous life of its own. Almost destroyed by Stoker's widow because of copyright infringement, this film has outlasted many others of the silent era. Count Dracula move to Bremen brings the plague, traceable to his dealings with the realtor Jonathan Harker. The Count becomes obsessed with Harker's wife, Nina, who is the only one with the power to end the evil.

Oliver Twist is a 1922 silent film adaptation of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist featuring Lon Chaney as Fagin, and Jackie Coogan as Oliver. Directed by Frank Lloyd. Oliver's mother, a penniless outcast, dies while giving birth. As a young boy Oliver is brought up in a workhouse, later apprenticed to an uncaring undertaker, and eventually is taken in by a gang of thieves who befriend him for their own purposes. Oliver finally discovers secrets from his family history.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) starring Lon Chaney, directed by Rupert Julian

Running Time: 78 minutes

Undeniably Chaney's most famous role. Lon Chaney, an American actor, was known as "the man of a thousand faces," due to his ground-breaking artistry with make-up. The film has inspired five remakes (in 1943, 1962, 1983, 1989, and 1990), numerous rip-offs, and the blockbuster Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. It is listed by most historians as one of the 10 greatest films of all time.

When the film debuted in 1925 The New York Times wrote: "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is an ultra fantastic melodrama, an ambitious production in which there is much to marvel at in the scenic effects...Lon Chaney impersonates the Phantom. It is a role suited to his liking, and one which he handles with a certain skill, a little exaggerated at times, but none the less compelling...The most dramatic touch is where Christine in the cellar abode is listening to the masked Phantom as he plays the organ. Then she steals up behind him and...suddenly snatches the mask from the Phantom's face...In the theatre last night a woman behind us stifled a scream when this happened." - New York Times, 1925

The masked and facially disfigured 'Phantom' haunts the Paris Opera House, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to force the management to make the woman he loves (Christine, played by Mary Philbin) a star. It is most famous for Lon Chaney's intentionally horrific, self-applied makeup which was kept a studio secret until the film's premier.

Plot: The film takes place in 1890s Paris, France. It is a mystery with romantic and horror overtones. The film opens with the debut of the new season at the Paris Opera House, with Comte Philip de Chagny and his brother, the Vicomte Raoul (Norman Kerry) in attendance. Raoul attends only in the hope of hearing his sweetheart Christine Daee (Mary Philbin) sing. Christine, under the tuition of an unknown and mysterious coach, has made a sudden rise from the chorus to understudy of the prima donna. Raoul wishes for Christine to resign and marry him, but she refuses their relationship to get into the way of her career.

In Christine's dressing room, an angelic voice calls to her from beyond the wall. He announces to her that she will sing and that all of Paris will worship her, but that she must forget all worldly things and think only of her master. The following night, Carlotta is taken ill and Christine sings. Christine reaches her triumph during the finale of the performance, and receives a standing ovation from the audience. Christine is entranced by a mysterious voice through a secret door behind the mirror in her dressing room, descending, in a dream-like sequence, semi-conscious on horseback by a winding staircase into the lower depths of the Opera. She is then taken by gondola over a subterranean lake by the masked Phantom into his lair.

Here, in one of the most famous moments in silent film, she makes the mistake of unmasking the Phantom (Chaney) as he plays on the organ, thus revealing his hideous deformity... Raoul and inspector Ledoux are then lured into the Phantom's underground death-trap as he kidnaps Christine.

First filmed by Fox in 1918 with William Farnum, Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage became a typically lavish Tom Mix extravaganza, filmed on locations at picturesque Lone Pine, California. Mix plays Jim Lassiter, the bold Texas Ranger whose sister, Millie Erne, and her little daughter are abducted by a discredited lawyer, Lew Walters. Dedicating his life to the recovery of his relatives, Lassiter takes a job at the ranch belonging to Jane Withersteen. From a captured outlaw, the former lawman learns that his prey has become a judge under the assumed name of Dyer. An enraged Lassiter marches into Judge Dyer´s courtroom and shoots his long time enemy dead. A posse is formed and Lassiter and Withersteen are forced to flee. They find a hideout at a secret plateau reachable only through steps carved in the rock by long-ago cliff dwellers. To rid themselves of their pursuers once and for all, Lassiter blocks the entrance with a huge boulder, realizing full well that he and Jane will be trapped forever.

Sadie Thompson wants to start a new life to escape a bad situation in San Francisco. She arrives in Pago-Pago, and meets the man of her dreams. It seems everything is going to work out in her favor! Then, she also meets an extreme missionary, Davidson, who wants to "convert" her & threatens to send her back to San Francisco if she does not repent. By fighting him, she may lose her chance at new love and a new life.

When a "Country Boy" (Lloyd) goes to the big city to seek success, he finds more than he bargained for. He tries to show his fiance how successful he is, meanwhile working as a clerk in a department store. His luck turns when he talks the manager into a publi...city stunt for the store. He has a friend who scales tall buildings, much like a "human fly" (Strother). This friend agrees to climb the face of the store building as a publicity stunt. Trouble ensues when his friend gets in trouble with the police -- who show up at the publicity stunt. Ultimately, our hero must make the climb himself. At each new floor ledge he encounters new difficulties, climaxing in the famous 'clock scene.'

Financial broker Jimmie Shannon is nearly bankrupt when an attorney presents his grandfather's will leaving him seven million dollars. In order to inherit the money Jimmie must marry before 7 pm on his 27th birthday -- today! Trouble ensues when his long-time girlfriend balks at the sudden proposal. In an effort to help, his best friend prints up thousands of flyers stating the problem, and of course, gets thousands of responses!

Lon Chaney stars as Yen Sin, a Chinese laundryman struggling for acceptance in a narrow-minded, coastal fishing community. When he stumbles upon a plot to blackmail the town's minister, Yen Sin realizes that he can no longer hide in the shadows -- he must take a risk and confront the villain who threatens the village's well-being.

After a woman remarries, her thought-to-be-dead husband returns and blackmails her and her new husband. Yen Sin helps to expose the plot so that they may continue to live happily ever after.

In a variation on the phony cripple performed numerous times in his career, Chaney stars in The Shock as Wilse Dilling -- "dope-peddler, safe-cracker, gun-man" -- a legitimately handicapped hoodlum of old San Francisco who drags himself from the darkness of Chinatown into the redemptive sunlight of the country, where he finds the inspiration to turn away from his life of crime. But when the father of the woman he loves is blackmailed, Dilling must venture back into the "whirlpool of vice and intrigue" of his criminal past, where the thriller reaches its spectacular, earth-shaking climax.

William "Steamboat Bill" Canfield is a steamboat owner. Fearing he is losing a fierce battle with businessman John James King & his shiny, new boat, he desperately awaits the arrival of his college educated son. A big, burly man, Bill Canfield Sr is very disappointed when he finally realizes his son is a spindly, small sort. The worst blow comes when he realizes that Jr is in love with his business rival's daughter, Kitty. A cyclone hits, and somehow Jr saves the day by seemingly aligning forces with the storm.

Directed by FW Murnau. Subtitled "A Song of Two Humans." A woman from the city goes on vacation to the country. She meets & falls in love with a married man. Desperate to get him to move to the city with her, she convinces him to get rid of his wife by drowning her. The man, bewitched by love, agrees to do it. As he attempts to carry out his despicable plan, he realizes his true nature & comes to his senses. The man and the wife spend the night in the city, rekindling their love flame, but on the way home are capsized by a sudden storm.

Harold Van Pelham (Lloyd) sets off for the tropics to cure his ailments. A rich businessman, he thinks the warm weather will cure him, although what his "ailments" are made of noone really knows. Instead, he finds himself in the midst of a revolution, and through lucky circumstances and fated encounters, he manages to escape from jail & return home.

Enter your email address here to receive official updates and news!

This Month's Featured CD!

Music Lessons

Shop the Site!

Join us on the Web!

Testimonials

Festival in Raleigh, NC on 11/20/2012

"They were terrific. The kids enjoyed the show tremendously. They were also so professional and accommodating. I had to ask that they change times and they made it happen for the kids. I will definitely put them on my short list in the future." -Jim B.

School Assembly in Harrisburg, PA on 11/06/2012

"Muzette did a wonderful job playing several assemblies for our school. The students had a wonderful time listening to their performance and their rapport with the students was fantastic. Tom and Laurie were so easy to work with concerning the logistics for their performance. Wonderful music and wonderful communication. I highly recommend them!" - Leslie R.

Wedding Reception in Nags Head, NC on 10/13/2012: If only there were 10 stars to rate Laurie and Tom with! They were so kind and accommodating from the first day. They really made my special day amazing. They played songs I specially requested and they were happy to relocate when the weather changed! They dressed professionally and were kind and generous! ALL of our friends and family adored them. If you're looking for the perfect group to play your event: LOOK NO MORE! You've found them! -Lauren G.

Wedding Ceremony in Washington, DC on 10/12/2012: Muzette was absolutely wonderful. My client was so pleased with how well they performed. They were professional, friendly, personable, and very talented. They came right in, got to work, and knew exactly what they needed to do. I hope to work with them again in the near future. -Tiffany G.